Vol 9 Chapter 1 (2/2)

3 days… Ago?

“My lord, you’ve been sitting here and staring at the ceiling for 3 days now without drinking or eating.” Cheng Yu looked a little better now but she was still frowning as she continued, “No matter how much we tried to talk to you, you would just shrug us off.”

“But we need to wake you up now.” Jia Xu added in her perpetually depressed look. At this time, she’s probably only depressed about me…

“You have unfinished work after all.”

… Perhaps she’s just worried that there’s no one to do my work.

Ah… I sighed once more as I tried to make sense of the conversation that just happened.

Xuan De has pa.s.sed away…

In the next moment, Xuan De’s innocent, sincere face appeared before me as he called out to me and smiled. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes in horror. My body felt cold and my consciousness was starting to feel faint again.

“Meng De, are you alright?” Yuan Rang came over and offered to support me but I raised my hand and stopped her as I could withstand this ordeal.

“Xuan De, he… How… Did he die…”

It was just a few words but I had great difficulty uttering them. But in the end, for personal and official reasons, this question has to be asked. And I remember not asking this the first time they told me about it.

“Our spies learnt about this through Jiangdong.” Jia Xu said as she stepped forward.

Before she could continue, I felt an intense pressure and involuntarily gulped as my heart began to race at the prospect of this bad news.

“Liu Yu Zhou sought refuge with Liu Biao of Jing state after leaving Jiangdong. We heard that he had some issues with the Cai sisters and was planning on escaping to Xinye.” Jia Xu stretched her neck as she said so.

“Before he could leave, Liu Biao held a farewell banquet. Cai Mao seized the opportunity and set an ambush. Yu Zhou detected it and escaped to the west of the city but fell into the river at the end of the road. Jiangdong’s Lu Su happened to be on the way to Xiangyang for Jiangxia negotiations and saw this. He tried to save him but to no avail. Though search parties are still actively searching for him, it’s been 7-8 days since he fell into the water and I’m afraid–”

“Alright, that’s enough.” I interrupted Jia Xu and did my best to gather my feelings and then sighed.

“My lord, are you alright?”

“Un, I’m fine. I’m very good.”

I raised my hands that were crossed and recrossed them across my chest and closed my eyes as I rocked back and forth in the chair. These actions were to hide the deep fury in my heart.

Yes, I mustn’t show my emotions. What happened a few days ago cannot be allowed to happen again.

I then raised an arm and put it in front of my forehead as I tried to ease the creasing of my eyebrows.

Xuan De, oh Xuan De. I really didn’t think that you would fall at such a time. Your existence is much needed in these troubled times yet you fell to a countryside general.

It’s too sad. It’s really too sad.

I took my hand down from my forehead and covered my mouth in a gesture that looked like I was supporting my chin.

When I thought about Xuan De, my nose began to burn and I felt that maybe I caught a cold from sitting here like this for 2 days, But even so, I can’t let my mucus flow so I held my face even tighter and breathed lightly so that no one would be able to realise this.

It’s a good thing that everyone isn’t talking or asking me anything so I’m able to recover quickly.

Haa… I squeezed my nose and rubbed my eyes lightly as I gave a long sigh, feeling a little relieved.

Xuan De is dead. I should have accepted this reality 3 days ago.

Yes, I should have accepted it. In these troubled times, anything can happen. Or perhaps the heavens couldn’t allow the existence of 2 heroes.

And so, Xuan De had to die. Haha, I can’t believe the heavens can get jealous of heroes.

Haa…

“My lord, why are you sighing and laughing?” Jia Xu asked as she looked at me, her frown seeming to be even more p.r.o.nounced than before.

Eh? Laugh? I didn’t understand and reached up to touch my face only to find that I was smiling.

“Haha, it’s nothing.” I knew why but I had to dismiss their concerns, “Now that Xuan De is dead, I’m afraid there is no one left to fight with me for the word, hahahaha…”

I laughed softly. This laughter is probably the fakest of all in my life. There’s no way I can laugh under these circ.u.mstances after all.

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